Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 5-14-13 AM Posts #edreform #EDCHAT #P2



BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS



The in box. “What would stop the state from revisiting this in the future?” | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 minutes ago
The in box. “What would stop the state from revisiting this in the future?” | Fred Klonsky: The in box. “What would stop the state from revisiting this in the future?” by Fred Klonsky Fred, The pension protection clause contained in the 1970 Constitution served to eliminate any uncertainty as to whether state and local governments were obligated to pay pension benefits to their employees. The plain language of the pension protection clause makes participation in a public pension plan an enforceable contractual relationship and also demands that the “benefits” of that relationship... more »

Community College Spotlight | California’s rocky path to prosperity

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 12 minutes ago
Community College Spotlight | California’s rocky path to prosperity: California’s rocky path to prosperity by Joanne Jacobs Unless California helps low-income parents learn basic skills, train for jobs and pursue higher education, the state's prosperity is at risk, concludes Working Hard, Left Behind. The Campaign for College Opportunity, the Women’s Foundation of California and Working Poor Families project collaborated on the report. California leads the nation in low-income working adults and in poorly educated adults. More than 1 out of 10 adults over 24 years of age have less... more »

George Washington and the Federal Role In Education | Federal Education Policy History

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 12 minutes ago
George Washington and the Federal Role In Education | Federal Education Policy History: George Washington and the Federal Role In Education by Kevin R. Kosar [image: George Washington] The U.S. Constitution carries no explicit authorization for the federal government to have any role in education. Nevertheless, this did not preclude the nation’s first president from advocating the creation of federal civilian and military universities. George Washington made his case to Congress repeatedly, perhaps most forcefully in his eighth presidential address (1796): I have heretofore propo... more »

Best of the Ed Blogs | National Education Policy Center

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 minutes ago
Best of the Ed Blogs | National Education Policy Center: *NPE News Briefs* Best of the Ed Blogs *Best of the Ed Blogs* features a frequently updated selection of interesting and insightful blog posts on education policy. The views expressed by the bloggers on our blog roll are thoughtful, original, and entirely their own. We hope you make *Best of the Ed Blogs* your first stop for concise takes on today's most important education topics. Surprise! Florida High-Stakes Accountability Promotes Gaming the System Best of the Ed Blogs Diane Ravitch May 14, 2013 Canada’s Legend-ary TED Ta... more »

Sol Stern and Joel Klein: Conservatives and the Common Core - WSJ.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 26 minutes ago
Sol Stern and Joel Klein: Conservatives and the Common Core - WSJ.com: Conservatives and the Common CoreThe curriculum standards adopted by 45 states require students to read America's Founding texts. Although the two of us have disagreed about several school-reform issues, we strongly believe that the Common Core State Standards, voluntarily adopted by 45 states, is one of the most promising education initiatives of the past half century. If implemented properly, they can better prepare students for college-level work and to gain the civic knowledge that is essential for democr... more »

Teachers and Principals Can't Do It Alone — Whole Child Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 34 minutes ago
Teachers and Principals Can't Do It Alone — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Melissa Mellor]Teachers and Principals Can’t Do It Alone May 14, 2013 by Melissa Mellor "As long as some children are routinely assigned the least-prepared teachers, attend schools in disrepair, make do with outdated technology and instructional materials, and have limited access to a broad and rich curriculum, our nation is still at risk," writes ASCD Executive Director and CEO Gene R. Carter in his recent column. The Equity and Excellence Commission, charged by Congress with providing a... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Plenty of money for another Rahm boondoggle

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 34 minutes ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Plenty of money for another Rahm boondoggle: Plenty of money for another Rahm boondoggle by Mike Klonsky Former Westinghouse great, Mark AguirreI still teach at DePaul. I'm also a Chicago high school basketball coach, basketball junkie, and back in the day I was a huge fan of DePaul basketball. I used to go regularly to the matchbox neighborhood arena, Alumni Hall, to watch the legendary *Ray Meyer* coach players he recruited right out of Chicago's Public League, like Westinghouse stars* Mark Aguirre*, *Skip Dillard*, *Bernard Randolph*, King's *Teddy... more »

Modern School: Teen Targeted as Terrorist for Using Facebook

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 34 minutes ago
Modern School: Teen Targeted as Terrorist for Using Facebook: Teen Targeted as Terrorist for Using Facebook by Michael Dunn ** *“**Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists**,”* —George W. Bush’s address to the American people in preparation for war with Afghanistan, September 20,2001. Cameron D’Ambrosio, a Massachusetts high school student, apparently is not with “us” since he was arrested on “terror” charges last week. The youth faces up to 20 years in prison for making a reference to the Boston Marathon bombings on his Facebook page. He is currently being held on... more »

Am I a Part of the Cure ... or the Disease? - Bridging Differences - Education Week

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Am I a Part of the Cure ... or the Disease? - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Am I a Part of the Cure ... or the Disease? by Deborah Meier *Michael J. Petrilli posts his second entry in Bridging Differences today.* *"Confusion never stops Closing walls and ticking clocks Gonna come back and take you home I could not stop that you now know, singing* Come out upon my seas Cursed missed opportunities Am I a part of the cure? Or am I part of the disease?" -Coldplay, "Clocks," A Rush of Blood to the Head, 2002 Dear Deborah, I am haunted by the title of your post: "The Testing Obses... more »

Governor Challenged as local politicians support District’s request for more funds - Collaborate Philly

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Governor Challenged as local politicians support District’s request for more funds - Collaborate Philly: GOVERNOR CHALLENGED AS LOCAL POLITICIANS SUPPORT DISTRICT’S REQUEST FOR MORE FUNDS *By Christopher “Flood the Drummer”® Norris* * * *5.10.13*: *Philadelphia– (Politics/Education):* After closing more than 20 schools and issuing countless pink slips, The Philadelphia School District is in critical condition and is desperately pleading for more funds. From the Commonwealth, the District is requesting new funding of $120 Million. Additionally, the cash-strapped District has reques... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-14-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] The Obama-Duncan-Gates-Rhee Philosophy of School Reform by dianerav While cleaning out my files, I came across this amazing article written in 2009 by the editorial page editor of the Washington Post. The historian in me finds it difficult to throw anything away, so the best way to save it is to share it. It is a succinct and worshipful description of the ideas that we now recognize as corporate reform. What would Bill Gates do to fix the schools? Expand charter... more »

Fourth-grade creationist science quiz: Dinosaurs lived millions of years ago — False

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Fourth-grade creationist science quiz: Dinosaurs lived millions of years ago — False: Fourth-grade creationist science quiz: Dinosaurs lived millions of years ago — False By Valerie Strauss, Published: May 14, 2013 at 6:00 amE-mail the writer 3 Comments More [image: creationismtest.jpg.CROP.original-original] (See Part 2 below) The following fourth grade science quiz for a unit called “Dinosaurs: Genesis and the Gospel” has been making the rounds on Facebook and elsewhere on the Internet, and it turns out it is real. According to snopes.com, the quiz was given at a private religious ... more »

Louisiana Educator: The Continued Dismantling of Public Education in Louisiana

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Louisiana Educator: The Continued Dismantling of Public Education in Louisiana: The Continued Dismantling of Public Education in Louisiana by Michael Deshotels One of my friends asked me this question recently: "Mike where do you get all this stuff about Louisiana Education Issues that you write about in your blog?" My answer was: "My only problem is that the haters and deformers of public education are constantly giving me*too much* "c_ _ _" to fire away at in my blog. I can hardly keep up." So I want to take this opportunity to thank the really skilled bloggers such as Tom As... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Think-Tanky Thinking

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Think-Tanky Thinking: Think-Tanky Thinking by Duke Dr. Matthew Ladner is undoubtedly a very smart guy. I'm sure that's why Jeb! Bush's Foundation for Educational Excellence pays him to write blog posts that bolster Jeb!'s preferred policies: *I had the opportunity to discuss A-F school grading with a thoughtful skeptic yesterday*. Sadly my doubting Thomas remained a skeptic at the end of our discussion. I showed him data about the trend for improving grades in Florida, and he produced data to show improving fuzzy labels from his state. I told him that Florida’s pr... more »

Ed Notes Online: Help E4E, No One is Noticing

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Ed Notes Online: Help E4E, No One is Noticing: Help E4E, No One is Noticing by ed notes online I'm beginning to feel sorry for the deformers at e4e. You don't even read much about them in the press. Even Gotham Schools seems to have run out of excuses to promote them. No one seems to be noticing them and poor Jonathan keeps sending out almost daily pleas to please pay them some attention. You see, they have all this stuff to give away and not enough people want their stuff. And think of how the Tweedies do their best to gain entry for e4e into schools. Now they did have the oppo... more »

NYC Educator: Principal Suit and the Chapter Leader

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
NYC Educator: Principal Suit and the Chapter Leader: Principal Suit and the Chapter Leader by NYC Educator Principal Suit was busy, in his office, doing Very Important Work, when his secretary knocked on the door and asked if he could see Susan, the chapter leader. He didn't really want to, but he thought if there was some problem, it might be best to nip it in the bud. So he agreed. "Mr. Suit," she said, "Did you read the observation report that Ms. Sim wrote about Ms. Whitman?" "No, I didn't." "As you know, Ms. Whitman has been teaching for 38 years. She's never gotten a bad ob... more »

Why Everyone Should Oppose Ten Commandments In Public Schools | toteachornototeach

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Why Everyone Should Oppose Ten Commandments In Public Schools | toteachornototeach: Why Everyone Should Oppose Ten Commandments In Public Schools by aristotlethewise [image: Family-Guy-4ACX30-Moses-Griffin]*Why Everyone Should Oppose Ten Commandments * *In Public Schools — Especially Religious People* by Paul Brandeis Raushenbush Christianity is under attack! The sense of Christian victim-hood has been ramping up in recent months. While conservative Christian intimidation by the rising acceptance of gay marriage has been more in the spotlight, a recent case of Ten Commandments pla... more »

Smarter Balanced Digital Library - Assessment Information (CA Dept of Education)

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Smarter Balanced Digital Library - Assessment Information (CA Dept of Education): Smarter Balanced Digital Library The Digital Library is a critical component of the Smarter Balanced system of assessments and will include a variety of resources to improve teaching and learning. ------------------------------ The Digital Library, set to launch in 2014, will provide teachers with an online clearinghouse of classroom-based, formative assessment strategies and practices that enhance day-to-day instruction, including resources to interpret data and reports from the Smarter Balanced s... more »

Oregon Save Our Schools: Portland Public Schools Targets Teachers

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Oregon Save Our Schools: Portland Public Schools Targets Teachers: Portland Public Schools Targets Teachers by Oregon SOS *By Portland Teacher (writing anonymously out of fear of reprisal)* Just months after angry parents, students, and teachers forced Portland Public Schools (PPS) officials to back down from closing several neighborhood schools, PPS has found a new target: teachers. Negotiations between the school district and Portland Association of Teachers (PAT) began this month with such enormous differences between their two proposals, that the local media is already raisi... more »

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 5-13-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
*Nite Cap UPDATE* *UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* ** *CORPORATE ED REFORM* The pieces are all starting to come together. . .and the picture ain’t good by crazycrawfish Thanks to Lefty, Dave Lefkowith, John White’s data scam is starting to take on a clearer shape. I just got another document from good ole Lefty from another new vendor called Cambium Education and Sopris Learning. It appears John White is planning to provide all of our student data to yet another inBloom-like vendor for DIBLELS data. This one will host quite a bit of data bases on reports they plan to make available... more »

NYC Public School Parents: More on Pearson's incompetence; and a Pearson protest rally on May 23

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
NYC Public School Parents: More on Pearson's incompetence; and a Pearson protest rally on May 23: More on Pearson's incompetence; and a Pearson protest rally on May 23 by Leonie Haimson So yes, Pearson made yet more errors in scoring the Gifted and Talented exams; caught again by a NYC parent and announced late on Friday. I was quoted in the Daily News saying given Pearson's perpetual incompetence, DOE should immediately cancel its contract and Walcott said he would "consider" this. (For more on the Pearson errors, seePost, Times, , NY1, SchoolBook, WSJ). This is on top of all ... more »

Gearing Up for ESEA? AASA :: The Leading Edge

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
AASA :: The Leading Edge: Gearing Up for ESEA? Permanent link In follow up to last week's post on the House ESEA hearing and what that might mean for ESEA reauthorization, a few more items: - There is serious momentum, in both the House and Senate, to move ESEA. Both chambers are expected to release their legislative proposals in early June, and to move through committee in the same month. Both chambers are working from the bills they respectively passed out of committee in 2011. The biggest change is that the very fragile bi-partisan support for the Senate ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: What's REALLY Happening In Newark's Schools?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: What's REALLY Happening In Newark's Schools?: What's REALLY Happening In Newark's Schools? by Duke I've already written about Tom Moran's pig-headed view of Newark's charter schools, as demonstrated in his op-ed piece in Sunday's Star-Ledger. Let me address something else from the article: *This council has a long history of crazy behavior*. It pays itself the highest council salaries in the state, and each member is entitled to a free car, as well. One councilman compared the charter school movement to the Tuskegee experiments when black men were secretly infecte... more »

Interstate Reciprocity Plan Expected to Transform U.S. Distance Education - Higher Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Interstate Reciprocity Plan Expected to Transform U.S. Distance Education - Higher Education: Interstate Reciprocity Plan Expected to Transform U.S. Distance Education *Con Academy * *Browse Con Academy library of over 3,100 educational videos...* Last month, the Commission on the Regulation of Postsecondary Distance Education, a nationally prominent group of accreditors, regulators and other higher education and state leaders, unveiled a comprehensive plan detailing how states could simplify and transform the regulation of U.S. distance education. Under the plan outlined in the... more »

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Teachers, Targets, and Test Scores!

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Teachers, Targets, and Test Scores!: Teachers, Targets, and Test Scores! by Lisa M My stomach is in knots and I want to scream. I want to hit something. I look at my students' test scores, the growth they have made,and I am proud of them. I refused to teach to the test, and they still kicked DCAS ! I looked down the AYP column on the all-glorious data chart, and saw that some of my students grew by over 100 points. Only two of my students did not show "growth". Then I look across at the column marked "*Target"*. That's when I wanted to scream and ... more »

Buena Vista School District Officially Closes For Year, Offers 'Skills Camp'

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Buena Vista School District Officially Closes For Year, Offers 'Skills Camp': Buena Vista School District Officially Closes For Year, Offers 'Skills Camp' by Joy Resmovits It's official. For the 400 or so students in Buena Vista, Mich., school is over, even though the academic year isn't supposed to end until the middle of June. Instead, they will likely attend "skills camp." If the school board approves the advancement of students -- despite not finishing out the year -- students will be able to attend "skills camp," a voluntary substitute for school, the district announced M... more »

ADVOCACY PHILANTHROPY AND THE LEVERAGED BUY-OUT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS — PART 1 | DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
ADVOCACY PHILANTHROPY AND THE LEVERAGED BUY-OUT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS — PART 1 | DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News: ADVOCACY PHILANTHROPY AND THE LEVERAGED BUY-OUT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS — PART 1 by Danny Weil [image: facesofcapitalism] *From: Philosophers for Change:* ( http://philoforchange.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/advocacy-philanthropy-and-the-leveraged-buy-out-of-public-schools-part-1/ ). *May 14, 2013* In a newly released book entitled The Gates Foundation and the Future of US Public Schools, author Kenneth Saltman argues that the entry into e... more »

AFT’s Randi Weingarten supports the pension deal. That’s no surprise. But claiming it fixes the pension system? | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
AFT’s Randi Weingarten supports the pension deal. That’s no surprise. But claiming it fixes the pension system? | Fred Klonsky: AFT’s Randi Weingarten supports the pension deal. That’s no surprise. But claiming it fixes the pension system? by Fred Klonsky [image: photo-14_2] American Federation of Teacher President Randi Weingarten gave her stamp of approval to the awful pension deal worked out between the We Are One coalition and Senate President John Cullerton. *“Instead of focusing on blaming, scapegoating and trying to eviscerate public workers—as is the sport in so many states—... more »

» PSAT for 5-14-13: Sign up for the 3-day march Parents United for Responsible Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 5-14-13: Sign up for the 3-day march: PSAT for 5-14-13: Sign up for the 3-day march by admin [image: psat_logo] Our City, Our Schools, Our Voices, will come together this coming weekend in the final protest push before the May 22 Board meeting where the mass school closing vote will be taken. Here’s what the CTU says about this event: The mayor and Board of Education want to destroy 54 school communities. This will be the largest destruction of schools in U.S. history. We need our neighborhood schools and we should... more »

What We Talk About When We Talk About "IQ:" Algebra and School Quality - Dana Goldstein

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
What We Talk About When We Talk About "IQ:" Algebra and School Quality - Dana Goldstein: What We Talk About When We Talk About "IQ:" Algebra and School Quality by Dana Goldstein The now-unemployed Jason Richwine is portraying himself as a numbers-driven policy wonk who has been unfairly pilloried for a nuanced, intellectually sophisticated Harvard dissertation, whose only crime was questioning liberal pieties on race and IQ. Byron York: Richwine and others also pointed to the fact that his ideas were expressed most completely in a dissertation done at Harvard, of all places, under... more »

Letter to a Young Education Reformer | EduShyster

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Letter to a Young Education Reformer | EduShyster: Letter to a Young Education Reformer by edushyster2012 *A young MBA student tells her classmates that “education reform” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.* Many of my classmates in business school assume that education reform is a good thing. Accountability! Improvement! Closing the Achievement gap! Usually they know some Teach for America alums (who are now lawyers), or they’ve watched “Waiting for Superman.” They’ve heard of charter schools (which of course they didn’t attend), and being business-minded, they assume that privat... more »

UPDATE: Can poor children learn? + Common Core Rollback: One Down, 44 to Go – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Common Core Rollback: One Down, 44 to Go – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: Student “Takes Aim” at Common Core Math by Kris Nielsen Somebody has had just about enough of the developmentally inappropriate, overbearing, confusing, and time-consuming program that Pearson thinks is going to help him grow into a successful adult. Enjoy this student’s videography: About these ads Tell it on the mountain: - - - - - - - - Data, Data Everywhere by freetoteach Enjoyed Tim and Shaun’s discussion Sunday on InBloom thanks for brining Rachel from CO to ... more »

Diane in the Evening 5-13-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: *NPE News Briefs* The Bathroom Crisis at Locke High School in L.A. by dianerav The Green Dot charter chain took over Locke High School in 2008. It received $15 million of mostly private funding to overhaul the school and completely change its culture. But the one challenge that Green Dot has been unable to overcome is to provide a safe, clean place for boys to go to the bathroom. After the stalls were vandalized, the school ripped them out, leaving no privacy. When you read the article, you will note that teachers ... more »

Ed Notes Online: Fred Smith on Pearson Mergers and a Poem

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Ed Notes Online: Fred Smith on Pearson Mergers and a Poem: Fred Smith on Pearson Mergers and a Poem by ed notes online Fred and others have been tracking the Pearson merger machine. See below Fred's poem. It has been noted that the Penguin- Random House merger involves Bertelsmann, the company that Klein left (most likely tossed) before he was rescued by Bloomberg and made chancellor. Pearson continues to merge with other publishers and business partners. I just got a Pearson key chain as a prize in my CrackerJack box. And with Pearson's buyout of Hallmark, I fear there will be ... more »

Closing California's education gap - latimes.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Closing California's education gap - latimes.com: OP-ED Closing California's education gapAs the overall education level declines, the state faces not only social ills but also major economic problems. By Michele Siqueiros May 13, 2013 California has proved to be a land of opportunity where hard work delivers prosperity and nurtures innovation. Its human capital has helped the state develop into the world's ninth-largest economy, which attracts nearly half of the venture capital in the nation. But this opportunity and success have not reached everyone, and the California dream is ... more »

School funding will be focus, source of contention, of Brown’s revised budget | EdSource Today

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
School funding will be focus, source of contention, of Brown’s revised budget | EdSource Today: School funding will be focus, source of contention, of Brown’s revised budget - by John Fensterwald by John Fensterwald Democrats in the Legislature may find themselves at odds with Gov. Jerry Brown on two issues that will factor large when Brown reveals his revised state budget Tuesday: how to spend billions in unanticipated revenue and how to reshape Brown’s sweeping plan for funding K-12 education. As of now, the state is on target to collect $4.5 billion more than expected in pers... more »

The MME Network: Introduction & Membership - Musical Media For Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
The MME Network: Introduction & Membership - Musical Media For Education: The MME Network: Introduction & Membership posted 3 weeks ago [image: image] Welcome to the proto-MME Network. I am Lance Fialkoff, the community facilitator*.* I am a veteran Social Studies educator who has worked for public schools, diversity/college access non-profits, private curriculum content providers, distance learning companies and regional educational cooperatives. Since I began teaching more than 25 years ago, music has always been at the heart of my work, especially where music and other forms of ... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: UNO charter hustlers have Wall Streeters' undies in a twist

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Schooling in the Ownership Society: UNO charter hustlers have Wall Streeters' undies in a twist: UNO charter hustlers have Wall Streeters' undies in a twist by Mike Klonsky The scandal involving the UNO charter school hustlers has Wall Street investors worrying. Today's Sun-Times reports: *Now under investigation by two state agencies, the United Neighborhood Organization is also facing tough questions on Wall Street from investors who lent tens of millions of dollars to help * Bill Gate$ buys into Common Core by Mike Klonsky Valerie Strauss writes in the Washington Post: *For... more »

UPDATE: What If “Reformers”... + Free propaganda gallery – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Free @thechalkface propaganda gallery – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: What If “Reformers” Adopted a Positive Agenda? by John Thompson John Legend introduced PBS’s first education TED talk with the promise that it would not play the blame game. The great presentations that followed raise the question of what could be accomplished if we all obeyed that policy, stopped pointing fingers, and promoted “win win” methods of school improvement. This post will show that even […] What If School “Reformers” Kept Up Their Best Behavior? by John Thompson John Legend introduced PBS’s... more »

Hopes, Fears, & Reality: A Balanced Look at American Charter Schools in 2012 | Center on Reinventing Public Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Hopes, Fears, & Reality: A Balanced Look at American Charter Schools in 2012 | Center on Reinventing Public Education: Hopes, Fears, & Reality: A Balanced Look at American Charter Schools in 2012 pub_hfr12_may13.pdf MAY 2013 Robin Lake Related Research: Hopes, Fears, & Reality Innovation and Technology Charter Management Organizations Finance and Productivity Charter Schools and Public School Choice District-Charter Collaboration Portfolio Strategy One of the main goals of the charter school movement at its founding was to provide new school options for families that wanted and ne...more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Monday, May 13, 2013

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *NPE News Briefs* Education Headlines *Monday, May 13, 2013* Azusa Unified board airs concerns over Rosedale development schoolBefore the housing bubble that led to the Great Recession and crippled construction, the fanfare of the Rosedale development wooed many interested buyers. One of the biggest selling points of the 1,250-home master-planned community was a brand-new school built specifically for the development. Gaps appear present in 2nd set of Alisal USD credit card documentsA second set of Alisal Union School District V... more »

UPDATE: The in box + Chicago on the March next weekend, May 18th and 19th. Big rally on the 20th. No school closings. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Chicago on the March next weekend, May 18th and 19th. Big rally on the 20th. No school closings. | Fred Klonsky: Glen Brown responds to Haisman. You didn’t know what to tell a legislator what we’re for? Here’s what we’re for. by Fred Klonsky Glen Brown: *“I think the constant saying NO was the danger Fred. Legislators have been saying to me for three and half years ….’ Ok …..OK — I get it you don’t like ‘This New Bill_______ ‘(fill in the number) but Bob give us something to Vote FOR! Offer a union counter to the Pension Killers! I can’t just keep on voting No!” -Bob Haisman.* Her... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Items of Note

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Items of Note: Items of Note by Melissa Westbrook Roosevelt High School's Jazz Band placed third at this weekend's Essentially Ellington competition in NYC. Congrats to all! Ballard High students in their video program won two major prizes at the Dominique Dunne Film Competition in Colorado Springs. The competition only awards four prizes and the judges are a who's who in Hollywood so this is huge honor for Ballard. Good job! Pinehurst K-8 is circulating a petition about their proposed relocation to Broadview-Thompson. From the petition: *... more »

Connected Community — Whole Child Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Connected Community — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Walter McKenzie]Connected Community May 13, 2013 by Walter McKenzie The hallmark of this brave new Information Age is the interconnectedness of everything: ideas, information, and people. Relationships are key. It's no longer what you know or how much you know ... it's who you know and how to connect with them. Interactions are more immediate, fluid, and dynamic. On an individual basis it is happening as I write. But what about on an institutional scale? Don't we eventually have to affect change in our public ... more »

Common-Core Pushback to the Pushback: Who Has the Political Mojo? - State EdWatch - Education Week

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Common-Core Pushback to the Pushback: Who Has the Political Mojo? - State EdWatch - Education Week: Common-Core Pushback to the Pushback: Who Has the Political Mojo? by Andrew Ujifusa The political battle over the Common Core State Standards is heating up, both at the state level and in broader debates at the national level, and at least some supporters of the standards appear to be taking notice that the ride may get very bumpy, at least politically. One supporter who summed up such fears was Andrew Rotherham, the co-founder of Bellwether Education Partners, a K-12 consulting f... more »

How To Teach History | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
How To Teach History | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: How To Teach History by larrycuban Here is how a journalist described a class she watched a few months ago in a Northern California high school. *In the 1986 comedy Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Ben Stein famously plays a high school teacher who drones on about the 1930 Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act while his students slump at their desks in a collective stupor. For many kids, that’s history: an endless catalog of disconnected dates and names, passed down like scripture from the state textbook, seldom questioned and... more »

Monty Neill: Building a Successful Test Reform Movement - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Monty Neill: Building a Successful Test Reform Movement - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Monty Neill: Building a Successful Test Reform Movement by Anthony Cody [image: Home] *Guest post by Monty Neill.* *Part one of three.* We are in the midst of rising resistance to high-stakes testing in the public schools. We have seen parents, students and teachers engaged in boycotts and opting out, demonstrations, forums and town halls, petitions and resolutions. Mainstream media has taken notice of the growing movement. Numerous articles about the Atlanta cheating scandal ha... more »

Shanker Blog » A Quick Look At "Best High School" Rankings

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Shanker Blog » A Quick Look At "Best High School" Rankings: A Quick Look At “Best High School” Rankings by Matthew Di Carlo Every year, a few major media outlets publish high school rankings. Most recently, *Newsweek* (in partnership with *The Daily Beast*) issued its annual list of the “nation’s best high schools.” Their general approach to this task seems quite defensible: To find the high schools that “best prepare students for college.” The rankings are calculated using six measures: graduation rate (25 percent); college acceptance rate (25); AP/IB/AICE tests taken per student... more »

Common-Core Turbulence: Inevitable or Preventable? :: Frederick M. Hess

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Common-Core Turbulence: Inevitable or Preventable? :: Frederick M. Hess: Common-Core Turbulence: Inevitable or Preventable? *by Frederick M. Hess • May 10, 2013 at 9:11 am* * * It's been a turbulent few months for the Common Core, raising real questions about its future. Opposition on the right has stretched well beyond the fringe has now been voiced by the Republican National Committee, with several Republican U.S. Senators speaking out in opposition and legislation to withdraw from the Common Core proposed in seven state legislatures. Meanwhile, in a big blow from the left, Rand... more »

The hole in the logic of an argument a truck could drive through. The union leaders who can’t say no. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
The hole in the logic of an argument a truck could drive through. The union leaders who can’t say no. | Fred Klonsky: The hole in the logic of an argument a truck could drive through. The union leaders who can’t say no. by Fred Klonsky [image: dana-fradon-i-still-have-my-loophole-but-i-can-t-drive-a-truck-through-it-new-yorker-cartoon] This weekend IEA President Cinda Klickna emailed her best argument to IEA Board of Directors and staff for supporting the We Are One/Cullerton pension cutting bill. *What does this bill give us that we don’t currently have?* *• Contractual enforceable... more »

Daily Kos: Something I think I finally understand

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Daily Kos: Something I think I finally understand: Something I think I finally understand by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) is that those who insist upon merit pay for teachers are themselves primarily motivated by money and have trouble grasping that for many people, while they want to earn a decent income and be able to support themselves and their family, money is not the primary motivation. Among those for whom money is not the primary motivation are many who undertake military careers, those who serve as clergy in many denominations, social workers, those who work in Legal Aid... more »

The Death of “Freedom”: Last Days of a Dying School | Project Wordsworth

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
The Death of “Freedom”: Last Days of a Dying School | Project Wordsworth: If you enjoy this story, we ask that you consider paying for it. Please see the payment section below. The Death of “Freedom”: Last Days of a Dying School By Emmanuel FeltonMAY 9, 2013 ------------------------------ Ifirst visited Freedom Academy High School on a dreary March day. The clouds were hanging low and there was a sprinkling of the last of winter’s snow. Despite the gray day, I felt an unusual air of excitement while ascending the stairs to Freedom’s sixth floor lunchroom. It was Spirit Week. It was N... more »












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